From July 1, 2009-June 30, 2010, HCGH delivered the second highest number of babies ever: 3,455 births, which is just 78 deliveries short of the record set in 2004. This represents an increase of 321 deliveries, or 12 percent over the prior fiscal year. With the blizzards of 2010, we are expecting our “baby boom” to continue through the fall.

Our goal at HCGH is to create a family-centered experience for our new mothers and their families. From our attractively decorated private rooms, all with private baths, to cookies in the afternoon, we want our patients to experience a healthy labor and delivery in a relaxed but medically secure environment. Two of our recovery rooms are designed specifically for cesarean births and our expanded Center for Maternal and Fetal Medicine offers comprehensive, state-of-the-art perinatal care for mothers with high-risk pregnancies. For our neediest infants, our 18-bed Level IIIb Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is ready with state-of-the-art medical equipment and a highly trained staff.

HCGH offers birthing center tours and sibling tours as well as a number of classes for expectant parents. We believe that the more mothers and families know about the process, the more comfortable they will feel at delivery.

For more information about classes and tours, visit our website or call the HCGH Wellness Center at 410-740-7601.

Mr. Walter Culver

As the community hospital for many in Howard County, the Howard County General Hospital staff is proud to share in some of the most important moments of our patients’ lives…some happy, some sad, and some bittersweet. Recently, a terminally ill patient, Walter Culver, chose to conclude his life with dignity and grace and, in the process, touched the lives and hearts of his HCGH care givers and other employees.

In his own successful career as an interior designer – his work has been published nationally and he has worked internationally – he observed that many of his wealthy clients were discontent, always looking for happiness through material acquisition rather than taking joy in their work. The following passage that he wrote and shared with HCGH staff demonstrates the important role he felt professional passion plays in a person’s career, making it clear that he felt his care team displayed such passion in their work as healers.